Links Ave partially reopening for Christmas
Cul-de-sac has been causing residents to feel isolated
Acontroversial road closure on Mount Maunganui’s Links Ave will be partially removed in time for Christmas. The eastern end of the street will be closed, with the exception of authorised vehicles, between 7am10am and 2pm-6pm, seven days a week, with unrestricted access at all other times from December 19.
In March, a cul-de-sac was installed between Solway Place and Concord Ave by creating two bus lanes, with access only for buses, motorbikes and emergency vehicles.
Anyone else that drove through the cul-de-sac received a $150 fine. Tauranga City Council (TCC) implemented the road changes after residents raised safety concerns over high traffic volumes when children were travelling to and from school.
Before the closure, there were about 7500 traffic movements a day with motorists using it as an alternative route to Maunganui Rd and Oceanbeach Rd.
The partial reopening is the work of the Links Avenue Community Panel, which has been working on a fix since July.
The council set up the panel to find a “community-based solution” to the cul-de-sac that was causing residents to feel isolated and increasing their travel time.
The closure was also racking up a large number of fines. By July 31, 17,222 infringements had been issued totaling $2.58 million, with a quarter of these waived according to Tauranga City Council data.
The partial reopening is stage one of the panel’s three-phased approach being implemented over the next two years.
As part of stage one, extra speed tables will be installed, the 30km/h speed limit will remain and extra road markings and speed limit signage will be added to the street.
The restricted access times for the cul-de-sac will be displayed on four time-based flashing signs at either end of the closure.
Panel spokeswoman Sophie Merwe said: “The Links Avenue community is frustrated at the total road closure so we are pleased council is expediting making these changes safely before Christmas, especially with this time of the year being a super-busy period for the road construction industry”.
A statement from the panel said it was seeking the restricted access to be only five days a week but the commissioners preferred to try seven days as a starting point to see the impact on traffic volumes.
“We are looking forward to seeing data gathered and hearing from community to assess if the changes are working and whether our other proposed changes can be phased in, especially if time restrictions can safely be reduced to weekdays only,” Merwe said.
Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston said the council appreciated the panel’s hard work and “well thought out” proposal.
“Like any relationship and especially when trying out something new like a community panel, there have been a few bumps along the way. But the key is that the communication between both parties has been open, honest and transparent throughout this process.”
Council director of transport Brendan Bisley said that after an independent safety audit of the panel’s proposal, council will put plans in place to implement the prechristmas changes.
”We hope that we’ve struck the right balance of improving resident access, while also ensuring that the safety of all road users is still at the forefront.”
Once the first aspects of phase one were in place, a period of monitoring and data collection would take place for several months after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The monitoring results would help inform the next phases of the panel’s proposal, and the panel and council will continue to work together on next steps. Work on the speed tables, signage and road markings will begin tomorrow and would take about two weeks to complete, depending on the weather.